Partizan has signed director Floyd Russ for representation across the U.S., U.K., France and Canada. Russ' body of work spans advertising campaigns, music videos, scripted and non-scripted films and TV series.
Russ’ talent for deftly capturing the poignancy of the human experience is reflected in such work as his documentary short, Zion, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Zion introduced audiences to Zion Clark, a young wrestler who was born without legs. Growing up in foster care, Clark struggled with fitting in his whole life–until he found the sport of wrestling, a passion which he pursued, pushing himself to great lengths. Zion was shortlisted for Best Short Documentary at the Oscars, won two Sports Emmy Awards, and was ultimately acquired in a bidding war by Netflix. Shortly after, Russ made the Netflix documentary Malice at the Palace, followed by his first narrative feature film, Ayar. He recently crafted a three-part documentary about the Boston Marathon bombing for Netflix, American Manhunt, and is currently shooting a feature documentary with Imagine Entertainment and developing a period horror feature film.
“Floyd has an exceptional eye for talent and stories, he seeks to breathe life into everything he does, infusing his work with a distinct emotional flair,” said Partizan founder Georges Bermann.
Russ comes to Partizan confident that the collaboration will elevate his cinematic artistry. “I was in film school when Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind came out, so for me, Partizan director Michel Gondry is like a God,” he said. “Partizan is filled with great established and young filmmakers at the forefront of their style, and the management and producers there are top-notch–a few of them I go way back with and trust very deeply.”
One such trusted colleague is Mike Lobikis, Partizan’s U.S. head of sales/EP and a producer behind Russ’ first critically acclaimed Vice short A Piece of the Bottom. Russ and Lobikis have collaborated on the multi-awarded campaigns “Marriage Market” for SK-II with Forsman & Bodenfors and the equally hard-to-forget Ad Council spot “Love Cam” out of R/GA. They’ve formed a genuine friendship–one based on admiration for one another’s film craft as well as sweet jump shots and trash talk on the basketball court.
“For Floyd, it’s telling stories that allow for the subjects to be fully seen,” Lobikis said. “That has always been my favorite thing about him as a filmmaker. He puts the full array of raw and real human experiences on display in service to an overarching message.”
Russ’ early career is defined by producing award-winning work with Saatchi & Saatchi New York and Grey New York, where he produced and directed in-house spots that were honored at awards shows across the industry. In just over a decade, Russ has seen his films for brands like Apple, Google, Infiniti, Kaiser and Gillette win assorted awards, including Cannes Titanium, Glass and Film Lions, and several Clios and AICP honors. Back in 2016, he earned a slot in SHOOT’s New Directors Showcase. Prior to joining Partizan, Russ had most recently been repped by Tool in the U.S.
“Floyd possesses a remarkable ability to tell large-scale narratives as well as the most intimate tales, ultimately he has a storyteller’s heart,” added Lisa Tauscher, Partizan’s U.S. managing director/executive producer.
